1xRUN Thru Interview
Eazy-E by Ricky Powell
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about this piece, anything immediate you would like us to highlight between you me and the lamp post?
Ricky Powell: I was going to interview Eazy-E at the Hilton Hotel on 51st and 6th for Seconds magazine. We were going to talk about a single he was putting out in 1993. He answered the door with a huge blunt and said “For you Ricky Powell!” I was like wow, this is going to be a fun interview. Basically I just went up to interview him and I brought my Minolta auto-jammy camera, my Pentax 1000 with this fish-eye lens and my camcorder video camera, just in case I could get an interview or film him for “Rappin’ with The Rickster” the public access show I was doing at the time. He was very relaxed and let me photograph him while he was rolling more blunts and what not.
1xRun: Tell us a little bit about the camera and the development that you used for this photo?
Ricky Powell: For this I used Ektachrome slide film with 24 exposures and I shot it at 200 speed in my Pentax 1000 camera with the fish-eye lens attached. That Pentax K1000, I actually bought it off a crack head in Tompkins Square Park in 1988 for 50 bucks. I put it to use right away. Any photos that you see of mine with the fish-eye look were shot with that camera. I figure, I made about $10,000 in a year from that camera, not bad for a 50 dollar investment. More importantly, it gave me an additional manual focus instrument besides my Minolta hi-matic auto-jammy. I’m still using that today, especially to shoot look books. Film has a place in photography…trust me.
1xRun: When and where was this photo taken?
Ricky Powell: It was shot on the couch in his hotel room at the Hilton Hotel on 51st st and 6th ave at about 7pm. It was sometime in 1993…I don’t remember what time of the year it was, but it was when he was putting out his single dissing Dr. Dre.
1xRun: Why should people buy this print?
Ricky Powell: Well, if your a hip-hop fan, Eazy-E is a unique legend with a unique voice and style. This photo shows stuff that he was into…and weed. Since he was from the West Coast and I’m from the East Coast it was an interesting blend, especially because of my history/lineage of photographing rap stars from the East Coast.
1xRun: Describe this print in one gut reaction word.
Ricky Powell: Gangsta.
1xRun: Bring us up to speed on what you’ve been up to as the year is comes to an end?
Ricky Powell: Well, I’m basically just maintaining. Being a freelance hustler. Work comes in unpredictable waves. So it was on and off this particular year. I didn’t travel much. Had a good gig in Tokyo for the Manhattan Portage company. They’re really good to me in Japan. I don’t know what I’d do without them.
Instagram has became my latest “art form.” I shoot pics from my tablet, and it’s really fun. I love the idea of shooting pictures sporadically and posting them up right away with a lil caption…and the feedback to my posts has been really cool. I like to make people laugh and I can see the results. It feels good. I also have gained and excellent teammate named Tono Radvany. He’s very talented and chill, and we percolate off each other. He designed our clothing line called The Rickford Institute which should be coming out in February via a company in Japan. I’m looking very forward to it.
I started doing a little walking tour called “Between me, you and the lamp post.” It’s a walk n’ talk with yours truly. I would out up a picture of Patchin Place, on West 10th St and people could meet there at the designated time, usually on Saturday or Sunday and I take ’em for a walk through the West Village and point out landmarks, according to me. Memorable spots from my childhood, spots where I took some of my more famous photos. Spots from classic cool movies in the 70’s. The Village Vanguard. Spots where I like to stop and toke and have the custees be look outs. The walk would be around an hour or two depending in how it was rollin’. People laughed and had a good time and I made a few bucks, so it was a mutual hootenanny. Oh, I also had a burrito falafel named after me at Eva’s Restaurant on 8th Street, called The Lazy Hustler. Also Rizzo’s Pizza on Clinton St also named a pizza after me with the same name. It’s vegetarian. Oh and I’ve also been hosting some parties for my people at We Are The Good Life! That’s my fam right there. Other than that just staying positive and paying bills. Trying to flourish in my 50’s.
1xRun: What’s on the docket for you as 2015 gets underway?
Ricky Powell: Well I’m looking forward to my partnership with 1xRun for sure, hopefully have my next book published by ya’ll. I’ll be commemorating 30 years of Lazy Hustling or professional photos on a hang-out tip. I officially started taking photos in the Spring of 1985. My photo of Jean-Michel Basquiat with Andy Warhol, is a jump off point for me. I’m excited by the way people are feeling about who I am, and how I do. I’m making people laugh besides taking interesting pictures. I just got a gig do put up an installation of my work on the creative floor of Viacom. It’s corporate, but very cool people are handling it and I’m gonna get to do my live slide show for a private group of people as well. Looking foward to that. I also have my first calender coming out in January, that’s by the good peoples at Wax Poetics in Japan. That came out of nowhere, like most gigs, plus they’re puttin out 2 hoodies with my pics on them, one with Herbie Hancock and one with Maceo Parker. Looking foward to those. Then I have a bunch of speculative gigs lined up, but we’ll seem if they materialize. Oh, Lomography gave me a couple of cool cameras to shoot with and they’re going to make a show out of the pics I’ve shot so far. Other than that, I’m going to just focus on staying healthy, physically and mentally, and take life one day at a time.
1xRun: You’ve always championed up and coming artists, who are some of the younger talents you have enjoying as of late?
Ricky Powell: Yes, I love lifting young nice folk who are good people. It feels good to give them props when they’re no even expecting it. It’s rewarding to use my “status” and resources to help others coming up. It’s one of my priorities. I have a show in April at Sacred Gallery in New York. I think I’m going to curate another show of upcoming talent, rather than do a one dimensional solo show. It’s hard to name all the upcoming and new talent but two off the bat are Destiny Mata (left below) and Cindy Caroli (right below). Nice quiet girls who have an extraordinary eye. Of course I want to always big up Tono Radvany. He’ll be throwing his hat in the ring this year as a photographer to be noted.
1xRun: Anything else that we’ve left out that you want to touch on?
Ricky Powell: Well, I’m grateful for all the good this coming at me. I want to continue to entertain and inspire with what’s on my mind and how I put it out there. I like to just be known as a guy from the neighborhood who does his thing and contributes to culture. As I’ve said in the past…DO YOU. Thank you.
1xRun: Where else can people find you?
Ricky Powell: – Website – Instagram @thelazyhustler
-1xRUN